US6560476B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Evaluating disease progression using magnetic resonance imaging
Assignee: Arthrovision Inc
•
Filing: 2000-11-01
•
Granted: 2003-05-06
•
Expires: 2020-11-01
Abstract
Abstract An orthopedic magnetic resonance imaging system is disclosed. This system includes a source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets resulting from successive magnetic resonance imaging acquisitions from a diseased joint of a patient. A segmentation module segments surfaces in the joint based on information contained within at least one of the data sets, and a registration module spatially registers, in three dimensions, information represented by a first of the data sets with respect to information represented by one or more further data sets for the same patient. A comparison module detects differences between information represented by the data sets caused by progression of the disease in the joint of the patient between acquisitions. A cross-patient comparison module can compare detected differences for the patient with detected differences for at least one other patient.
Inventors
- 👤 Jean Pierre Pelletier
- 👤 Johane Pelletier
- 👤 M. Jacques de Guise
- 👤 Jean-Pierre Raynauld
- 👤 Marie-Josee Barthiaume
- 👤 Gilles Beaudoin
- 👤 M. Benoit Godbout
- 👤 M. Claude Kauffmann
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 21:42
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01R; G01R33/00; G01R33/20; G01R33/44; G01R33/48; G01R33/54; G01R33/56; G06; G06T; G06T5/00; G06T5/50; G06T7/00; G06T7/0002; G06T7/0012; A; A61; A61B; A61B5/00; A61B5/45; A61B5/4504; A61B5/4514; A61B5/4528; G01R33/5608
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 86
Claim 1
Independent Claim
168 words
An orthopedic magnetic resonance imaging system, comprising: a source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets resulting from successive magnetic resonance imaging acquisitions from a diseased joint of a patient, a segmentation module responsive to the source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets and operative to segment surfaces in the joint based on information contained within at least one of the data sets, a registration module responsive to the source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets and operative to spatially register, in three dimensions, information represented by a first of the data sets with respect to information represented by one or more further data sets for the same patient, a comparison module responsive to the registration module and operative to detect differences between information represented by the data sets caused by progression of the disease in the joint of the patient between acquisitions, and a cross-patient comparison module responsive to the comparison module to compare detected differences for the patient with detected differences for at least one other patient.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
168 words
An orthopedic magnetic resonance imaging system, comprising: a source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets resulting from successive magnetic resonance imaging acquisitions from a diseased joint of a patient, a segmentation module responsive to the source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets and operative to segment surfaces in the joint based on information contained within at least one of the data sets, a registration module responsive to the source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets and operative to spatially register, in three dimensions, information represented by a first of the data sets with respect to information represented by one or more further data sets for the same patient, a comparison module responsive to the registration module and operative to detect differences between information represented by the data sets caused by progression of the disease in the joint of the patient between acquisitions, and a cross-patient comparison module responsive to the comparison module to compare detected differences for the patient with detected differences for at least one other patient.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
39 words
The apparatus of claim 1 further including a multi-patient database and wherein the cross-patient comparison module includes a statistical analysis module operative to derive statistical information about the progression of disease in the joints of a number of patients.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
165 words
An orthopedic magnetic resonance imaging system, comprising: a source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets resulting from successive magnetic resonance imaging acquisitions from a diseased joint of a patient, a segmentation module responsive to the source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets and operative to segment surfaces in the joint based on information contained within at least one of the data sets, a registration module responsive to the source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets and operative to spatially register, in three dimensions, information represented by a first of the data sets with respect to information represented by one or more further data sets for the same patient, wherein the registration module is operative to spatially register the data sets to within an average root-mean-square value of about 10 microns, and a comparison module responsive to the registration module and operative to detect differences between information represented by the data sets caused by progression of the disease in the joint of the patient between acquisitions.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
165 words
An orthopedic magnetic resonance imaging system, comprising: a source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets resulting from successive magnetic resonance imaging acquisitions from a diseased joint of a patient, a segmentation module responsive to the source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets and operative to segment surfaces in the joint based on information contained within at least one of the data sets, a registration module responsive to the source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets and operative to spatially register, in three dimensions, information represented by a first of the data sets with respect to information represented by one or more further data sets for the same patient, wherein the registration module is operative to spatially register the data sets to within an average root-mean-square value of about 10 microns, and a comparison module responsive to the registration module and operative to detect differences between information represented by the data sets caused by progression of the disease in the joint of the patient between acquisitions.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
165 words
An orthopedic magnetic resonance imaging system, comprising: a source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets resulting from successive magnetic resonance imaging acquisitions from a diseased joint of a patient, a segmentation module responsive to the source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets and operative to segment surfaces in the joint based on information contained within at least one of the data sets, a registration module responsive to the source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets and operative to spatially register, in three dimensions, information represented by a first of the data sets with respect to information represented by one or more further data sets for the same patient, wherein the registration module is operative to spatially register the data sets to within an average root-mean-square value of about 50 microns, and a comparison module responsive to the registration module and operative to detect differences between information represented by the data sets caused by progression of the disease in the joint of the patient between acquisitions.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
165 words
An orthopedic magnetic resonance imaging system, comprising: a source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets resulting from successive magnetic resonance imaging acquisitions from a diseased joint of a patient, a segmentation module responsive to the source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets and operative to segment surfaces in the joint based on information contained within at least one of the data sets, a registration module responsive to the source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets and operative to spatially register, in three dimensions, information represented by a first of the data sets with respect to information represented by one or more further data sets for the same patient, wherein the registration module is operative to spatially register the data sets to within an average root-mean-square value of about 50 microns, and a comparison module responsive to the registration module and operative to detect differences between information represented by the data sets caused by progression of the disease in the joint of the patient between acquisitions.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
166 words
An orthopedic magnetic resonance imaging system, comprising: a source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets resulting from successive magnetic resonance imaging acquisitions from a diseased joint of a patient, a segmentation module responsive to the source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets and operative to segment surfaces in the joint based on information contained within at least one of the data sets, a registration module responsive to the source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets and operative to spatially register, in three dimensions, information represented by a first of the data sets with respect to information represented by one or more further data sets for the same patient, wherein the registration module includes an automatic registration module operative to perform at least a three-dimensional preliminary spatial registration independent of user input, and a comparison module responsive to the registration module and operative to detect differences between information represented by the data sets caused by progression of the disease in the joint of the patient between acquisitions.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
166 words
An orthopedic magnetic resonance imaging system, comprising: a source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets resulting from successive magnetic resonance imaging acquisitions from a diseased joint of a patient, a segmentation module responsive to the source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets and operative to segment surfaces in the joint based on information contained within at least one of the data sets, a registration module responsive to the source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets and operative to spatially register, in three dimensions, information represented by a first of the data sets with respect to information represented by one or more further data sets for the same patient, wherein the registration module includes an automatic registration module operative to perform at least a three-dimensional preliminary spatial registration independent of user input, and a comparison module responsive to the registration module and operative to detect differences between information represented by the data sets caused by progression of the disease in the joint of the patient between acquisitions.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
27 words
The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the registration module is operative to perform the registration based on previously acquired magnetic resource imaging data for the same patient.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
180 words
An orthopedic magnetic resonance imaging system, comprising: a source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets resulting from successive magnetic resonance imaging acquisitions from a diseased joint of a patient, a segmentation module responsive to the source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets and operative to segment surfaces in the joint based on information contained within at least one of the data sets, wherein the segmentation module is an automatic segmentation module responsive to the source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets and operative to automatically segment anatomical features in the patient with substantially only supervisory and artifact-correcting user input, a registration module responsive to the source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets and operative to spatially register, in three dimensions, information represented by a first of the data sets with respect to information represented by one or more further data sets for the same patient, and a comparison module responsive to the registration module and operative to detect differences between information represented by the data sets caused by progression of the disease in the joint of the patient between acquisitions.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
180 words
An orthopedic magnetic resonance imaging system, comprising: a source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets resulting from successive magnetic resonance imaging acquisitions from a diseased joint of a patient, a segmentation module responsive to the source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets and operative to segment surfaces in the joint based on information contained within at least one of the data sets, wherein the segmentation module is an automatic segmentation module responsive to the source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets and operative to automatically segment anatomical features in the patient with substantially only supervisory and artifact-correcting user input, a registration module responsive to the source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets and operative to spatially register, in three dimensions, information represented by a first of the data sets with respect to information represented by one or more further data sets for the same patient, and a comparison module responsive to the registration module and operative to detect differences between information represented by the data sets caused by progression of the disease in the joint of the patient between acquisitions.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
167 words
An orthopedic magnetic resonance imaging system, comprising: a source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets resulting from successive magnetic resonance imaging acquisitions from a diseased joint of a patient, wherein the source of magnetic resonance imaging data is operative to provide data sets optimized for the detection of at least bone and cartilage, a segmentation module responsive to the source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets and operative to segment surfaces in the joint based on information contained within at least one of the data sets, a registration module responsive to the source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets and operative to spatially register, in three dimensions, information represented by a first of the data sets with respect to information represented by one or more further data sets for the same patient, and a comparison module responsive to the registration module and operative to detect differences between information represented by the data sets caused by progression of the disease in the joint of the patient between acquisitions.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
167 words
An orthopedic magnetic resonance imaging system, comprising: a source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets resulting from successive magnetic resonance imaging acquisitions from a diseased joint of a patient, wherein the source of magnetic resonance imaging data is operative to provide data sets optimized for the detection of at least bone and cartilage, a segmentation module responsive to the source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets and operative to segment surfaces in the joint based on information contained within at least one of the data sets, a registration module responsive to the source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets and operative to spatially register, in three dimensions, information represented by a first of the data sets with respect to information represented by one or more further data sets for the same patient, and a comparison module responsive to the registration module and operative to detect differences between information represented by the data sets caused by progression of the disease in the joint of the patient between acquisitions.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
36 words
The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the source of magnetic resonance imaging data includes a magnetic resonance imaging system operative to acquire the data sets using a sequence is less than about 30 minutes in duration.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
34 words
The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the joint is a load-bearing joint, and wherein the imaging data sets include imaging data for at least the majority of the load bearing surfaces of the joint.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
14 words
The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the segmentation module employs an active contour algorithm.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
15 words
The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the segmentation module employs a subpixel active contour algorithm.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
23 words
The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the segmentation module employs an active contour algorithm configured to segment open contours with minimal operator intervention.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
16 words
The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the segmentation module employs a three-dimensional gradient-driven active contour algorithm.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
218 words
An orthopedic magnetic resonance imaging system, comprising: a source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets resulting from successive magnetic resonance imaging acquisitions from a diseased joint of a patient, wherein the source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets includes a magnetic resonance imaging system and a support assembly operative to immobilize the diseased joint within the magnetic resonance imaging system with the joint at a predetermined three-dimensional position, and wherein the support assembly is operative to repeatedly immobilize the joint at predetermined three-dimensional positions that fall within a range of less than 7 millimeters along the longitudinal axis of the magnetic resonance imaging system, a segmentation module responsive to the source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets and operative to segment surfaces in the joint based on information contained within at least one of the data sets, a registration module responsive to the source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets and operative to spatially register, in three dimensions, information represented by a first of the data sets with respect to information represented by one or more further data sets for the same patient, and a comparison module responsive to the registration module and operative to detect differences between information represented by the data sets caused by progression of the disease in the joint of the patient between acquisitions.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
218 words
An orthopedic magnetic resonance imaging system, comprising: a source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets resulting from successive magnetic resonance imaging acquisitions from a diseased joint of a patient, wherein the source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets includes a magnetic resonance imaging system and a support assembly operative to immobilize the diseased joint within the magnetic resonance imaging system with the joint at a predetermined three-dimensional position, and wherein the support assembly is operative to repeatedly immobilize the joint at predetermined three-dimensional positions that fall within a range of less than 7 millimeters along the longitudinal axis of the magnetic resonance imaging system, a segmentation module responsive to the source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets and operative to segment surfaces in the joint based on information contained within at least one of the data sets, a registration module responsive to the source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets and operative to spatially register, in three dimensions, information represented by a first of the data sets with respect to information represented by one or more further data sets for the same patient, and a comparison module responsive to the registration module and operative to detect differences between information represented by the data sets caused by progression of the disease in the joint of the patient between acquisitions.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
218 words
An orthopedic magnetic resonance imaging system, comprising: a source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets resulting from successive magnetic resonance imaging acquisitions from a diseased joint of a patient, wherein the source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets includes a magnetic resonance imaging system and a support assembly operative to immobilize the diseased joint within the magnetic resonance imaging system with the joint at a predetermined three-dimensional position, and wherein the support assembly is operative to repeatedly immobilize the joint at predetermined three-dimensional positions that fall within a range of less than 17 millimeters along the longitudinal axis of the magnetic resonance imaging system, a segmentation module responsive to the source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets and operative to segment surfaces in the joint based on information contained within at least one of the data sets, a registration module responsive to the source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets and operative to spatially register, in three dimensions, information represented by a first of the data sets with respect to information represented by one or more further data sets for the same patient, and a comparison module responsive to the registration module and operative to detect differences between information represented by the data sets caused by progression of the disease in the joint of the patient between acquisitions.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
218 words
An orthopedic magnetic resonance imaging system, comprising: a source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets resulting from successive magnetic resonance imaging acquisitions from a diseased joint of a patient, wherein the source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets includes a magnetic resonance imaging system and a support assembly operative to immobilize the diseased joint within the magnetic resonance imaging system with the joint at a predetermined three-dimensional position, and wherein the support assembly is operative to repeatedly immobilize the joint at predetermined three-dimensional positions that fall within a range of less than 17 millimeters along the longitudinal axis of the magnetic resonance imaging system, a segmentation module responsive to the source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets and operative to segment surfaces in the joint based on information contained within at least one of the data sets, a registration module responsive to the source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets and operative to spatially register, in three dimensions, information represented by a first of the data sets with respect to information represented by one or more further data sets for the same patient, and a comparison module responsive to the registration module and operative to detect differences between information represented by the data sets caused by progression of the disease in the joint of the patient between acquisitions.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
164 words
An orthopedic magnetic resonance imaging system, comprising: a source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets resulting from successive magnetic resonance imaging acquisitions from a diseased joint of a patient, a segmentation module responsive to the source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets and operative to segment surfaces in the joint based on information contained within at least one of the data sets, a registration module responsive to the source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets and operative to spatially register, in three dimensions, information represented by a first of the data sets with respect to information represented by one or more further data sets for the same patient, a comparison module responsive to the registration module and operative to detect differences between information represented by the data sets caused by progression of the disease in the joint of the patient between acquisitions, and a differential display module operative to generate a difference map depicting differences between the data sets detected by the comparison module.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
164 words
An orthopedic magnetic resonance imaging system, comprising: a source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets resulting from successive magnetic resonance imaging acquisitions from a diseased joint of a patient, a segmentation module responsive to the source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets and operative to segment surfaces in the joint based on information contained within at least one of the data sets, a registration module responsive to the source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets and operative to spatially register, in three dimensions, information represented by a first of the data sets with respect to information represented by one or more further data sets for the same patient, a comparison module responsive to the registration module and operative to detect differences between information represented by the data sets caused by progression of the disease in the joint of the patient between acquisitions, and a differential display module operative to generate a difference map depicting differences between the data sets detected by the comparison module.
Claim 27
Independent Claim
90 words
A method of monitoring disease progression in a joint, comprising: obtaining successive images of a same joint for each of a plurality of patients, wherein at least some of the joints are diseased, segmenting joint surfaces within at least one of the images for each patient, for each of the patients, spatially registering joint features for one of the successive images with another of the successive images, detecting differences between the successive images for each of the individual patients, and comparing the differences obtained for different ones of the patients.
Claim 28
Independent Claim
90 words
A method of monitoring disease progression in a joint, comprising: obtaining successive images of a same joint for each of a plurality of patients, wherein at least some of the joints are diseased, segmenting joint surfaces within at least one of the images for each patient, for each of the patients, spatially registering joint features for one of the successive images with another of the successive images, detecting differences between the successive images for each of the individual patients, and comparing the differences obtained for different ones of the patients.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
52 words
The method of claim 18 further including the step of administering a therapeutic agent to at least some of the patients before the acquisition of at least some of the successive images, and evaluating the differences between the registered successive images to obtain a measure of the efficacy of the therapeutic agent.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 18 further including the step of evaluating the differences between the registered successive images to determine how to treat individual ones of the patients.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 18 wherein the therapeutic agent is designed to treat rheumatic diseases affecting cartilage.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
45 words
The method of claim 18 wherein the step of obtaining includes performing a magnetic resonance imaging acquisition and further including the step of immobilizing the diseased joint with the joint at a predetermined flexion angle during the step of performing a magnetic resonance imaging acquisition.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
46 words
The method of claim 18 wherein the step of obtaining includes performing a magnetic resonance imaging acquisition and further including the step of completely immobilizing the diseased joint with the joint at a predetermined three-dimensional position during the step of performing a magnetic resonance imaging acquisition.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
49 words
The method of claim 23 wherein the step of immobilizing is operative to repeatedly immobilize the joint at predetermined three-dimensional positions that fall within a range of less than 7 millimeters along the longitudinal axis of the magnetic resonance imaging system used to perform the magnetic resonance imaging acquisition.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
49 words
The method of claim 23 wherein the step of immobilizing is operative to repeatedly immobilize the joint at predetermined three-dimensional positions that fall within a range of less than 17 millimeters along the longitudinal axis of the magnetic resonance imaging system used to perform the magnetic resonance imaging acquisition.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
55 words
The method of claim 18 wherein the step of obtaining includes performing a magnetic resonance imaging acquisition, further including the step of positioning one or more markers proximate the joint during the magnetic resonance imaging, and further including the step of evaluating image distortion for the joint based on acquired image data for the markers.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
56 words
The method of claim 18 wherein the step of obtaining includes performing a magnetic resonance imaging acquisition, further including the step of positioning one or more markers proximate the joint during the magnetic resonance imaging, and further including the step of evaluating patient movement artifact for the joint based on acquired image data for the marker.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 27 wherein the step of positioning positions a pair of cylinders in orthogonal locations proximate the joint.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
38 words
The method of claim 18 wherein the steps of detecting differences and comparing the differences are operative to detect differences between information represented by the data sets within one or more sub-regions of a surface of the joint.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 29 wherein the sub-regions are based on polar coordinates.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 30 wherein the sub-regions are based on Cartesian coordinates.
Claim 42
Independent Claim
119 words
A method of monitoring disease progression in a joint, comprising: obtaining a first magnetic resonance imaging data set resulting from magnetic resonance imaging acquisition of a joint of a patient, segmenting a boundary between two anatomical features of the joint based on the first magnetic resonance imaging data set, saving segmentation information derived during the step of segmenting, obtaining a second magnetic resonance imaging data set resulting from a magnetic resonance imaging acquisition of the same joint for the same patient, and segmenting the boundary between the same two anatomical features of the same joint of the same patient based on both the second magnetic resonance imaging data set and the segmentation information saved in the step of saving.
Claim 43
Independent Claim
119 words
A method of monitoring disease progression in a joint, comprising: obtaining a first magnetic resonance imaging data set resulting from magnetic resonance imaging acquisition of a joint of a patient, segmenting a boundary between two anatomical features of the joint based on the first magnetic resonance imaging data set, saving segmentation information derived during the step of segmenting, obtaining a second magnetic resonance imaging data set resulting from a magnetic resonance imaging acquisition of the same joint for the same patient, and segmenting the boundary between the same two anatomical features of the same joint of the same patient based on both the second magnetic resonance imaging data set and the segmentation information saved in the step of saving.
Claim 44
Dependent Claim
78 words
The magnetic resonance imaging method of claim 32 further including the step of administering a therapeutic agent for the disease to a plurality of patients, wherein the steps of obtaining, the steps of segmenting, and the step of saving are performed for a plurality of patients, and further including the step of evaluating the effect of the therapeutic on the disease based on results of the steps of obtaining, the steps of segmenting, and the step of saving.
Claim 45
Dependent Claim
126 words
An orthopedic magnetic resonance imaging system, comprising: means for obtaining a first magnetic resonance imaging data set resulting from magnetic resonance imaging acquisition of a joint of a patient and for obtaining a second magnetic resonance imaging data set resulting from a magnetic resonance imaging acquisition of the same joint for the same patient, means for segmenting a boundary between two anatomical features of the joint based on the first magnetic resonance imaging data set, means for saving segmentation information derived by the means for segmenting, and means for segmenting the boundary between the same two anatomical features of the same joint of the same patient based on both the second magnetic resonance imaging data set and the segmentation information saved by the means for saving.
Claim 46
Dependent Claim
126 words
An orthopedic magnetic resonance imaging system, comprising: means for obtaining a first magnetic resonance imaging data set resulting from magnetic resonance imaging acquisition of a joint of a patient and for obtaining a second magnetic resonance imaging data set resulting from a magnetic resonance imaging acquisition of the same joint for the same patient, means for segmenting a boundary between two anatomical features of the joint based on the first magnetic resonance imaging data set, means for saving segmentation information derived by the means for segmenting, and means for segmenting the boundary between the same two anatomical features of the same joint of the same patient based on both the second magnetic resonance imaging data set and the segmentation information saved by the means for saving.
Claim 47
Dependent Claim
78 words
A magnetic resonance imaging system, comprising: a source of magnetic resonance imaging data resulting from magnetic resonance imaging acquisition from an imaging volume for a patient, a fitting module operative to fit a biparametric surface to an anatomical feature described by the data for the patient, and a projection module responsive to the magnetic resonance imaging data source and operative to project at least a portion of the data representing the three-dimensional anatomical feature onto the biparametric surface.
Claim 48
Dependent Claim
78 words
A magnetic resonance imaging system, comprising: a source of magnetic resonance imaging data resulting from magnetic resonance imaging acquisition from an imaging volume for a patient, a fitting module operative to fit a biparametric surface to an anatomical feature described by the data for the patient, and a projection module responsive to the magnetic resonance imaging data source and operative to project at least a portion of the data representing the three-dimensional anatomical feature onto the biparametric surface.
Claim 49
Dependent Claim
16 words
The apparatus of claim 35 wherein the surface is a biparametric surface having a three-dimensional topology.
Claim 50
Dependent Claim
25 words
The apparatus of claim 36 further including a display module responsive to the projection module to display the two dimensional surface on a planar display.
Claim 51
Dependent Claim
24 words
The apparatus of claim 36 wherein the anatomical feature includes at least the condyles of the femur and wherein the surface is a cylinder.
Claim 52
Dependent Claim
25 words
The apparatus of claim 36 wherein the anatomical feature includes at least the plateau regions of the tibia and wherein the surface is a plane.
Claim 53
Dependent Claim
25 words
The apparatus of claim 36 wherein the anatomical feature includes at least the posterior surface of the patella and wherein the surface is a plane.
Claim 54
Dependent Claim
19 words
The apparatus of claim 35 further including means for performing image manipulations on data representing the two dimensional surface.
Claim 55
Dependent Claim
30 words
The apparatus of claim 35 further including a repositioning module operative to user input to project the three-dimensional anatomical feature onto a further biparametric surface layers proximate the biparametric surface.
Claim 56
Dependent Claim
33 words
The apparatus of claim 35 further including an inter-patient comparison module responsive to the projection module to compare results derived from the projections from the projection module for a plurality of different patients.
Claim 57
Dependent Claim
23 words
The apparatus of claim 43 further including a display module responsive to the inter-patient comparison module to display comparison information for the projections.
Claim 58
Dependent Claim
61 words
A magnetic resonance imaging method, comprising: obtaining a magnetic resonance imaging data set resulting from a magnetic resonance imaging acquisition from an imaging volume for a patient, fitting a biparametric surface to an anatomical feature described by the data set for the patient, and projecting at least a portion of the data representing the three-dimensional anatomical feature onto the biparametric surface.
Claim 59
Dependent Claim
61 words
A magnetic resonance imaging method, comprising: obtaining a magnetic resonance imaging data set resulting from a magnetic resonance imaging acquisition from an imaging volume for a patient, fitting a biparametric surface to an anatomical feature described by the data set for the patient, and projecting at least a portion of the data representing the three-dimensional anatomical feature onto the biparametric surface.
Claim 60
Dependent Claim
36 words
The method of claim 45 further including repeating the steps of obtaining, fitting, and projecting for a plurality of different patients, and further including the steps of comparing resulting projections for the plurality of different patients.
Claim 61
Dependent Claim
67 words
A magnetic resonance imaging system, comprising: means for obtaining a magnetic resonance imaging data set resulting from a magnetic resonance imaging acquisition from an imaging volume for a patient, means for fitting a biparametric surface to an anatomical feature described by the data set for the patient, and means for projecting at least a portion of the data representing the three-dimensional anatomical feature onto the biparametric surface.
Claim 62
Dependent Claim
67 words
A magnetic resonance imaging system, comprising: means for obtaining a magnetic resonance imaging data set resulting from a magnetic resonance imaging acquisition from an imaging volume for a patient, means for fitting a biparametric surface to an anatomical feature described by the data set for the patient, and means for projecting at least a portion of the data representing the three-dimensional anatomical feature onto the biparametric surface.
Claim 63
Dependent Claim
66 words
A phantom for a magnetic resonance imaging system, comprising: a body defining: a first cavity for holding a first material that has at least one magnetic resonance property that is substantially similar to that of cartilage, and a second cavity for holding a second material that has at least one magnetic resonance property that is substantially similar to that of an that is adjacent to cartilage.
Claim 64
Dependent Claim
66 words
A phantom for a magnetic resonance imaging system, comprising: a body defining: a first cavity for holding a first material that has at least one magnetic resonance property that is substantially similar to that of cartilage, and a second cavity for holding a second material that has at least one magnetic resonance property that is substantially similar to that of an that is adjacent to cartilage.
Claim 65
Dependent Claim
25 words
The apparatus of claim 48 wherein the cavities are on the order of the thickness of joint features to be imaged using magnetic resonance imaging.
Claim 66
Dependent Claim
16 words
The apparatus of claim 48 wherein the cavities are on the order of 0.125 inches thick.
Claim 67
Dependent Claim
18 words
The apparatus of claim 48 wherein the body defines a first partition separating the first and second cavities.
Claim 68
Dependent Claim
18 words
The apparatus of claim 48 wherein the partition is on the order of less than 100 microns thick.
Claim 69
Dependent Claim
32 words
The apparatus of claim 48 wherein the body further defines a third cavity for holding a third material, and wherein the body includes a second partition separating the second and third cavities.
Claim 70
Dependent Claim
81 words
A magnetic resonance imaging method, comprising: obtaining and processing a magnetic resonance image of a phantom of known geometry that simulates the contrast level between cartilage and at least one anatomical feature adjacent to cartilage, obtaining a magnetic resonance image of a joint of a patient, and processing results of the step of obtaining a magnetic resonance image of a joint of a patient based on results of the step of obtaining and processing a magnetic resonance image of a phantom.
Claim 71
Dependent Claim
81 words
A magnetic resonance imaging method, comprising: obtaining and processing a magnetic resonance image of a phantom of known geometry that simulates the contrast level between cartilage and at least one anatomical feature adjacent to cartilage, obtaining a magnetic resonance image of a joint of a patient, and processing results of the step of obtaining a magnetic resonance image of a joint of a patient based on results of the step of obtaining and processing a magnetic resonance image of a phantom.
Claim 72
Dependent Claim
53 words
The method of claim 54 wherein the step of processing is a step of verifying that results of the step of obtaining a magnetic resonance image of a joint of a patient fall within a predetermined contrast range based on results of the step of obtaining a magnetic resonance image of a phantom.
Claim 73
Dependent Claim
41 words
The method of claim 54 wherein the step of processing is a step of correcting results of the step of obtaining a magnetic resonance image of a joint based on results of the step of obtaining an image of a phantom.
Claim 74
Dependent Claim
86 words
The method of claim 54 wherein the step of obtaining a magnetic resonance image of a phantom and the step of obtaining a magnetic resonance image of a joint are performed using a first magnetic resonance imaging configuration, and further including a further step of obtaining a magnetic resonance image of a phantom of known geometry that simulates the contrast level between cartilage and at least one adjacent anatomical feature and a further step of obtaining a magnetic resonance image of a joint of a patient.
Claim 75
Dependent Claim
58 words
The method of claim 54 wherein the step of obtaining a magnetic resonance image of a phantom is performed for a first material has at least one magnetic resonance property that is substantially similar to that of bone and a second material that has at least one magnetic resonance property that is substantially similar to that of cartilage.
Claim 76
Dependent Claim
41 words
The method of claim 54 wherein the step of obtaining a magnetic resonance image of a phantom is performed for a phantom that includes volumes on the order of the volumes of joint features to be imaged using magnetic resonance imaging.
Claim 77
Dependent Claim
115 words
An orthopedic magnetic resonance imaging system, comprising: a source of three-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging data sets resulting from magnetic resonance imaging acquisition from a joint of a patient, a segmentation module that is responsive to the source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets and is operative to detect a boundary between two anatomical features of the joint in three dimensions based on three-dimensional information from a first of the data sets, and a comparison module responsive to the segmentation module and to a second of the data sets and operative to compare boundary surface data resulting from segmentation by the segmentation module for the first data set with volumetric data from the second data set.
Claim 78
Dependent Claim
115 words
An orthopedic magnetic resonance imaging system, comprising: a source of three-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging data sets resulting from magnetic resonance imaging acquisition from a joint of a patient, a segmentation module that is responsive to the source of magnetic resonance imaging data sets and is operative to detect a boundary between two anatomical features of the joint in three dimensions based on three-dimensional information from a first of the data sets, and a comparison module responsive to the segmentation module and to a second of the data sets and operative to compare boundary surface data resulting from segmentation by the segmentation module for the first data set with volumetric data from the second data set.
Claim 79
Dependent Claim
32 words
The apparatus of claim 60 wherein the comparison module is included in a second segmentation module operative to segment the same boundary between the same anatomical features in the second data set.
Claim 80
Dependent Claim
36 words
The apparatus of claim 60 wherein the comparison module is included in a registration module operative to spatially register the boundary between the anatomical features segmented in the first data set with the second data set.
Claim 81
Independent Claim
100 words
A method of monitoring disease progression in a joint, comprising: obtaining a first three-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging data set resulting from magnetic resonance imaging acquisition from a joint of a patient, segmenting a boundary between two anatomical features of the joint of the patient based on the first magnetic resonance imaging data set, obtaining a second three-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging data set resulting from a magnetic resonance imaging acquisition of an imaging volume for the same joint of the same patient, and comparing surface data resulting from the step of segmenting with volumetric data resulting from the second data set.
Claim 82
Independent Claim
100 words
A method of monitoring disease progression in a joint, comprising: obtaining a first three-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging data set resulting from magnetic resonance imaging acquisition from a joint of a patient, segmenting a boundary between two anatomical features of the joint of the patient based on the first magnetic resonance imaging data set, obtaining a second three-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging data set resulting from a magnetic resonance imaging acquisition of an imaging volume for the same joint of the same patient, and comparing surface data resulting from the step of segmenting with volumetric data resulting from the second data set.
Claim 83
Dependent Claim
36 words
The method of claim 63 wherein the step of comparing is part of a step of segmenting the same boundary between two anatomical features of the patient based on the second magnetic resonance imaging data set.
Claim 84
Dependent Claim
36 words
The method of claim 62 wherein the step of comparing is part of a second step of spatially registering the boundary between the anatomical features segmented in the first data set with the second data set.
Claim 85
Dependent Claim
101 words
An orthopedic magnetic resonance imaging system, comprising: means for obtaining a first three-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging data set resulting from magnetic resonance imaging acquisition from a joint of a patient, means for segmenting a boundary between two anatomical features of the joint of the patient based on the first magnetic resonance imaging data set, means for obtaining a second three-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging data set resulting from a magnetic resonance imaging acquisition from the same joint of the same patient, and means for comparing surface data resulting from the step of segmenting with volumetric data resulting from the second data set.
Claim 86
Dependent Claim
101 words
An orthopedic magnetic resonance imaging system, comprising: means for obtaining a first three-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging data set resulting from magnetic resonance imaging acquisition from a joint of a patient, means for segmenting a boundary between two anatomical features of the joint of the patient based on the first magnetic resonance imaging data set, means for obtaining a second three-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging data set resulting from a magnetic resonance imaging acquisition from the same joint of the same patient, and means for comparing surface data resulting from the step of segmenting with volumetric data resulting from the second data set.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2006-05-05 | 2006-11-04 | 2007-05-06 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2010-05-05 | 2010-11-04 | 2011-05-06 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2014-05-05 | 2014-11-04 | 2015-05-06 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |